Catholics Gather At Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland to Ask For More Transparency

About a dozen people held a vigil on the front steps of the cathedral. Organizers say they're encouraged by the Diocese of Cleveland releasing the names of priests who were removed from their posts due to sex abuse allegations.

KABIR BHATIA
/ WKSU

A small group of protesters wants the Cleveland Catholic Diocese to be more transparent with information about clergy sex abuse.

Listen

Listening...

/

Catholics asking Cleveland Diocese for more transparency

About a dozen people gathered in a light rain in front of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. The event came just days after the diocese said it’s compiling a list – going back decades – of priests who were removed from their posts due to allegations of child sex abuse.

Russ Petrus is with FutureChurch, a reform organization made up of Catholics from around the country. He organized the event and acknowledged that the announcement – and even the weather – may have impacted attendance at the rally. But he says there is still work to be done beyond the release of names.

“Let us know what happened, who knew what, who knew it when, and what reforms they’re going to take to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Petrus says he has reached out to Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez to thank him for releasing the names, and has asked for a followup meeting.